Professor John Fulton, MFA Program Director and English department professor, received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts agency for his book of short stories, “The Flounder.”
NEA Literature Fellowships awards $25,000 to 35 lucky recipients. Of over 2,200 applicants, Professor Fulton was selected for the 2023 class of prose writers. The grant is offered to published creative writers in prose and poetry, with the category alternating each year.
Fulton began his writing journey after college. “I really could only take one class on creative writing when I was in college,” Fulton said, “so I really started afterwards. I got a night job, so I had some time during the day to do my writing.”
Like many famous American writers, Fulton traveled to Europe to experience more of what the world had to offer. He traveled from Switzerland to Germany, picking up odd jobs along the way. During his travels, he learned another language and taught English, all while continuing his work as a writer. At this time, Fulton published his first stories in literary journals.
Some time after returning to the United States, he began teaching at the University of Michigan before ending up at UMass Boston in 2003.
“The difference in students was really dramatic,” Fulton stated. “The students here value being in the classroom. It’s not something they take for granted.”
Here at UMass Boston, students appreciate Professor Fulton’s teachings. One of his students, Jackie Moran, reflected on her time as his student, saying, “he holds such an amazing presence that is worth listening to. He creates a safe environment that everyone can communicate respectfully in. He is such a great listener, too. I felt like it was such a treat to be in his class.”
Fulton began working on “The Flounder” in 2019 on sabbatical. He was confined to Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic where he worked on the stories featured in the book. Some of the stories were based on his travels in his early twenties. Returning to the same areas in his fifties brought back memories and experiences that are covered in “The Flounder.”
During his upcoming sabbatical afforded by the NEA grant, Fulton will work on two projects: one, a collection of stories following a young couple through life, and the other, a novel dealing with mental illness. To learn more about Professor Fulton and his past works, visit johnfulton.net.
This article appeared in print on Page 3 of Vol. LVIII Issue VI, published Nov. 4, 2024.
